THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 30, 1994 TAG: 9409290193
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TOM HOLDEN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 88 lines
The dream always had been to fight the scourge of the sleeping infant - sudden infant death syndrome.
If they could raise enough money by selling used clothing, shoes and housewares, then maybe Scott and Eileen Hessek could use the cash to educate people about the disorder that devastates parents by robbing them of their infants.
For 22 years, the couple has been devoted to the cause through their Guild for Infant Survival. Only recently have they tried running a second-hand store, which they call Worth Repeating.
But even the best intentions are not enough, and now the Hesseks must move. Faced with bills they cannot pay, the Hesseks are abandoning their store and selling off its contents.
``I'm very proud of the work we've done,'' said Scott Hessek. ``We've been here almost two years. This was the first thrift store we opened to support the guild.''
An auction will take place at the store on Saturday from 10:30 a.m. until everything - from old shirts, pants, jackets and shoes, to toasters, coat racks, books and belts - is gone.
``We're selling it to the walls,'' he said, adding that they're looking for a new location.
The guild, which will remain active, provides support and counseling to families of babies lost to sudden infant death syndrome, the quick, unexplained death of an apparently healthy baby during sleep.
It is the most common cause of death for babies ages 1 week to 1 year, affecting one of every 300 to 350 children, according to Mosby's Dictionary of Medical, Nursing & Allied Health. Several causes have been proposed, from diet deficiencies, respiratory defects, to an unknown virus and suffocation. While its cause is not known, the condition occurs more often in infants 10 to 14 weeks old, especially those born prematurely, in boys more often than girls, during the winter months, and is seen in infants who have had a minor illness or an upper respiratory infection.
Hessek said the guild has helped about 3,500 local families cope with the tragedy.
The store's new tenant is Beach Books, which sells used novels, magazines and pornographic material, said Hessek.
Earlier this year, the book store occupied a building several doors west of the thrift store and would join a commercial strip, on Virginia Beach Boulevard west of First Colonial Road that already has go-go bars, a gas station, an antique store and restaurants.
On Tuesday, the current owner of Beach Books, Louis Krbec III, was ordered to sell or close the store by Nov. 30, said Paul Lipkin, Krbec's attorney.
Asked if the store could reopen under new ownership, Lipkin said, ``Yes, he can stay in business until Nov. 30 and then he must close or have sold it. Beach Books has no injunction against remaining in business. Lou Krbec does. Mr. Krbec can't own any part of Beach Books, either by subterfuge or anything, and it will be done. He planned to sell anyhow.''
Clay Nobles, a commercial real estate broker with Prudential Decker Realty, confirmed that Beach Books would be moving in and added that the issue was a question of paying the rent.
The store's lease calls for rent of $1,600 a month, an amount the Hesseks' store could not meet.
``We gave them a sweet deal,'' he said. ``But he can't live up to the lease. All he can pay is $600 a month. We sent them a letter saying we have given enough.''
In the roughly two years the Hesseks have worked at the store, they have championed the word about SIDS to whomever walked through the front door. The Hesseks lost their only child, Kathy, to SIDS while they were living in California. Ever since, the couple has worked to help other couples who have faced similar tragedies.
``I think it's a good cause,'' said Brenda Hensley, a 29-year-old hairdresser who joined a group of friends to search through the piles of children's clothing looking for a few bargains.
``I don't like all these go-go bars here, and I don't want to see Beach Books here.''
Her friend, Laura A. Thomas, a 29-year-old mother of four, said, ``I'd rather see money go to a sick child. You can get a book in the mail, you can't get a healthy baby in the mail.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by D. KEVIN ELLIOTT
Scott and Eileen Hessek, who lost their only child to sudden infant
death syndrome, now are losing the thrift store - Worth Repeating -
which they operated to raise money for SIDS research.
by CNB